The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-04-02

thoroughfares in all the counties on
par with those of other States. 1t
will be seen that it is very similar in
all its features to the local system for
this county known as the Page sys-
tem,' which, during its brief opera
ton here some sixteen years ago,
showed such excellent results, and
laid the basis of the present superior
ity of our roads over those of the
neighboring counties. The Page sys-
tenn was based upon the Western
idea, and was an improvement upon
it, in that, instead OF dev0lving upon
the unskilled county commissioners
the general superintendent OF the
roads, i. appointed skillful superln-
tendent for the special purpose of
supervising the construction of roads
and bridges and having the custody
and general direction of the labor
saving machinery devoted to that
service. 1t will appear that the town
ship idea does not enter materially
into this system. The feature OF
small local road districts, which
seems to be an essential one, could
be accomplished without the township
subdivisions. This matter could be
left to the county commissioners and
the counties could be p0rtioned off
into small road districts by them
selves, or by ub-commlssioners ap
pointed by them. In this county,
and perhaps in all the other counties
of the State, the present election dis
tricts would probably be sufficiently
small road districts to be put under
the direction of the local supervisor.
1.-The essential principles of the
road system that we need in this
State are, first, that every male citi-
zen of proper age, not physically dis
abled, should be required to contrib
ute to the public road servie, either
by actual labor or an equivalent in
money second, that each county
should be subdivided into small road
districts, no: to exceed Is Or 80 square
miles, to be under the charge of a
local supervisor; third, that each
county should provides proper outfit
of labor-saving machinery to be used
in any section of the county, as Occa.
sion might require. and fourth, that
| there should be a skilled superinten-
dent for each county, who should
supervise the construction of roads
and bridges, have the custody and
direction of the county machinery
and direct the operations of all the
local supervisors.
"Such system would produce and
maintain good, durable, weII-graded,
uniform public roads which would
be credit to the State and every
county in it. 1t would materially
advance the value of the agricultural
lands and of property generally /;
would induce and encourage immi-
grafton and be altogether a most de-
sirable internal improvement. Aud
under this system the burdens would
be so justly and well distributed as
to rest heavily nowhere. The rates
of county taxation for that service
would not be half what they are at
present, while the work accomplish.
ed would be increased tenfold.
"The Page system in this county,
which embodied most OF these prin-
ciples in local law, and which, dur
ing the one year of its operation,
showed such splendid results, was
repealed, because. as it was alleged,
it was in conflict with the present
constitution of the State. If it he
true that such road system is not
warranted by the present conslitu-
ton, then the constitutional con-
yeltiOn should see to it that the
difficulty is removed. If they can
secure this system, our agricultural
friends need not give themselves any
further concern about the township
system and they will have good
roads, too"